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Which basic word orders occur in Mesoamerican languages?
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The languages within the Mesoamerican linguistic area are characterized by a non-verb-final basic word order. Specifically, these languages utilize VOS (verb-object-subject), VSO (verb-subject-object), or SVO (subject-verb-object) word orders.
It is important to note that these languages do not use the SOV (subject-object-verb) basic word order, which is common in neighboring regions to the north and south of Mesoamerica. Among the languages in the area, VOS order—a relatively rare structure globally—is shared by Mayan, some Mixe-Zoquean languages, Xinkan, and varieties of Nahua, and is believed to have been spread through language contact.1